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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016
State funding adds to Seaside
district’s school building budget
With bond
vote, district
can cash in on
state money
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
Submitted Photo
The Inn at Cannon Beach plans to add 18 additional units.
Hotel expansion gets OK to
go ahead in Cannon Beach
Council overturns Planning Commission decision
By LYRA FONTAINE
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH — The
path cleared on Tuesday for
a hotel to add 18 additional
guest suites.
The Cannon Beach City
Council approved Hospitality
First LLC’s request for a con-
ditional use permit to expand
the Inn at Cannon Beach.
The 40-unit inn is located
at 132 E. Surfcrest Ave. In the
application, Hospitality First
stated that Cannon Beach has
an insufficient supply of lodg-
ing units for visitors during
peak occupancy periods.
The council overturned the
Planning Commission’s 4-1
denial of the permit in Septem-
ber, a decision based on factors
including impacts the hotel
units might have on traffic and
water use. In October, Patrick
Nofield appealed the denial on
behalf of Hospitality First.
After debate about whether
the site qualified for motel use,
Mayor Sam Steidel and Coun-
cilors George Vetter, Melissa
Cadwallader and Mike Bene-
field voted in favor of over-
turning the Planning Com-
mission’s decision. Councilor
Wendy Higgins recused her-
self from voting due to conflict
of interest and personal bias.
“We’re very satisfied with
the outcome,” Nofield said
Wednesday. “The Planning
Commission’s decision of
denial regarding our condi-
tional use application seemed
to be a broad view of what they
desire Cannon Beach to be …
For our purpose, the relevant
question was, does the condi-
tional use application meet the
criteria as established in the
zoning ordinance?”
According to the staff
report, the application met
six criteria for conditional
use approval, which included
demand, an adequate site plan
and not overburdening pub-
lic facilities or causing traffic
congestion.
Nofield said the Planning
Commission’s decision was
“subjective” and not “respon-
sive to the language of the
review criteria that was out-
lined in the zoning ordinance
or based on evidence of the
record.”
“From our perspective, the
staff report to the Planning
Commission provided findings
of fact to support the approval
of the project,” he said at a
Nov. 1 council meeting.
Jan
Siebert-Wahrmund
asked councilors to uphold
the Planning Commission’s
denial, citing concerns about
limited water resources and the
need to be “mindful in making
decisions about even modest
increments of growth.”
“Our town is already over-
loaded and cramped in the
summer,” Siebert-Wahrmund
said. “Why would we choose
to build more hotel and motel
units when we are already
stretched and strained as a
community?” she said. “We
do not need to exploit our pre-
cious place.”
Public Works Director Dan
Grassick said the city has ade-
quate water resources for the
proposed development.
“While it will add to the
overall water consumption
each year, it is not going to
exceed your capacity,” he said
to councilors.
SEASIDE — Driven
by the threat of tsunami
and evidence of crumbling
Seaside schools, voters
Tuesday rallied around the
school district’s $99.7 mil-
lion bond.
The district can now add
another $4 million from the
state’s Department of Edu-
cation Office of Finance
and Administration, which
will bring total funding to
more than $103 million.
The district was required to
pass the bond to receive the
state funds, which match up
to $4 million of a district’s
bond levy.
“I couldn’t be more
proud of our community for
stepping forward and mak-
ing a truly historic decision
that will improve the lives
of children and families for
generations to come,” Sea-
side Superintendent-emeri-
tus Doug Dougherty wrote
supporters in a post-elec-
tion email. “Seaside School
District will also receive $4
million of additional capi-
tal funding from the state of
Oregon.”
The state funds come
after the school district was
unable to access funding
through the Seismic Reha-
bilitation Grant Program to
use to retrofit or relocate its
schools because three of the
district’s schools are sited
within the tsunami inunda-
tion zone, Dougherty said
this summer.
The Legislature last
year authorized $125 mil-
lion in state matching bonds
to provide incentives to
school districts seeking
approval for capital proj-
ects. Estacada School Dis-
trict, Vernonia School Dis-
trict, and Gresham-Barlow
Submitted Photo
Superintendent-emeritus Doug Dougherty and Gail Dun-
das, co-chairwoman of Vote Yes for Our Local Schools,
celebrate the bond vote on election night.
97 Celebration
8
6PM “KARAOKE DAVE”
Brunch
9 AM-NOON
C HRISTMAS P REVIEW
Door Prizes | Refreshments
10-20 %
OFF
Open
to the
public
NS
D ONATIO E !!!!!
M
WELCO
Chinook Indian Nation
Program
Noon
4 PM UNTIL GONE
Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans,
Coleslaw and Roll
Music b
y
Al Barr
Brunch & Dinner FREE For All Veterans & Their Families
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H OLIDAY A RT A UCTION
AND O YSTER F RY
a benefi t for the
• Presentation of Colors, Service Flags and Membership
Certifi cates (Post 50s, 60s & 70, 71, 72 and Auxiliary 50s, 60s and 81 years)
• POW/MIA Ceremony
*Bring a non-perishable food item and receive $2 off on admission at the door
Outside Sales
FREE
for pa
up 20 id
membe 17
rs
Veterans Day Celebration
Tickets available at
www.hey-loretta.com/tickets
and Rusty Cup, 1213 Commercial St
REWARDING CAREER
CHICKEN DINNER
with Mashed Potatoes, Veggie & Salad
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12 TH
$ 15 Advance
$ 18 Day Of*
November 12 th
9 am- 5 pm
www.bloomincrazyfloral.com
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11 TH
the
S PONSORED BY
OF
971 Commercial Street
Astoria, OR 97103
503.325.3571
Veterans Day
Veterans Day
Veteran Visitations
CCC Performing Arts Center
588 16th Street
:
Astoria
7 Y EARS
C RAZY !
CLATSOP POST 12
th
$
S ATURDAY
N OVEMBER 12 TH • 7 PM
S UNDAY
N OVEMBER 13 TH • 2 PM
Celebrating
Come visit and receive a
free flower!
4 PM UNTIL GONE
to
Tribu u te ghter
l
a
c
i
s
A Mu iner’s Da
Coal M
day the district’s first step will
be to work toward expanding
the city’s urban growth bound-
ary for development of the cam-
pus. The state requires cities to
maintain a line around their
perimeters to moderate urban
sprawl. If more land is needed,
such as for the new school cam-
pus, land is zoned and annexed
into the city.
Earlier this year, the
city’s Planning Commission
tabled discussions on a plan
to increase the urban growth
boundary for future residential
housing. Seaside School Dis-
trict was purposely excluded
from this plan so they could
pursue an urban growth bound-
ary expansion specifically to
relocate its schools out of the
tsunami inundation zone.
School District — three of the
school districts ahead of Sea-
side — did not pass their bonds,
Dougherty said Wednesday.
Seaside was first on a wait-
ing list to receive the matching
funds, which were contingent
on the district passing a bond in
November.
As a result of this week’s
bond vote, Gearhart Elemen-
tary School, Seaside High
School and Broadway Mid-
dle School will relocate to a
new campus location in the
East Hills adjacent to Seaside
Heights Elementary School.
Federal funds are unavail-
able to offset local school relo-
cation costs because of a ban
on federal earmarks, Dough-
erty said.
Dougherty said Wednes-
Saturday, November 12th
at the
Columbia Pacifi c Heritage Museum
(115 SE Lake Street in Ilwaco)
Dinner served from 5-7 pm
Auction closed at 7:30 pm
Tickets at the Door
N ATIVE AND
L OCAL A RTISTS
Ron Pulliam, wood turner
Joe Brignon, photographer
Dave Barthlett, fi ne artist
Richard Rowland, ceramics/pottery
D INNER AND
E NTERTAINMENT
Drumming, singing and dancing
Fried Willapa oystsers (or hot dogs)
Smoked salmon chowder
Homemade desserts
Visit our website to learn more:
www.ChinookNation.org
N e w
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scenic montage
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